As promised, dance-rap phenomenon MC Hammer, who gained popularity in the early 90s with hits like U Can’t Touch This and 2 Legit 2 Quit, released a new song and accompanying video titled Better Run Run this morning (November 1).

Hammer, who tweeted to fans last week that the diss would hit cyberspace over the Halloween weekend, released the song/video combo under the new moniker King Hammer.

According to the rapper, it is a direct response to Jay-Z’s rap on Kanye West’s So Appalled, which was released last September.

“And Hammer went broke so you know I’m more focused/ I lost 30 mil so I spent another 30/ ‘Cause unlike Hammer 30 million can’t hurt me,” rapped Jay-Z on So Appalled, alluding to the Oakland emcee’s well-publicized money troubles.

In response, Hammer pokes fun of the controversial Illuminati rumors surrounding the Brooklyn-based rap mogul, countering with, “The Devil said, Imma give you the world/ I’ll take it, plus give me a girl/ Mr. Devil, can you give me a sign/ He said, throw the Roc up, that’s one of mine.”

Not stopping there, Hammer continues on to say, “If I knock on your door that mean I’m knocking you out/ If I knock on your door I’ll bust you in ya mouth/ New rules, lemme show you the way/ If a rapper talk tough, then he gotta back up what he say.”

The video for Better Run Run also features a devilish-looking creature chasing after a man in a fitted Yankee’s cap. Later, it culminates in Hammer defeating the creature and forcing a baptism upon the man in the hat.

 Jay-Z and his representatives have yet to comment on the track or to Hammer’s taunts on Twitter

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Jay-Z, hip-hop entrepreneur and recently called one of PresidentObama’s favorite musicians, was shown in a banner on Miami Police Department’s website on October 7, in the department’s anti-gang campaign. The banner shows an outdated image of Jay-Z in a throwback and next to the headline “Report Gang Activity”.

According to the Miami Times, Miami’s Police Department became aware of their mistake. Officer Kenia Reyes explained, “It was something that was inadvertently done. It was a mistake.” Entertainment Weekly reports that Reyes places blame on someone in Miami Police’s computer department.

Miami has been known for an increase in gangs and gang-related crimes. Miami’s Attorney General’s website reveals, “The State of Florida has experienced a disturbing increase in crime over the last decade. One of the factors contributing to the growth of the crime rate is the emergence of gangs.”

However, questions remaining how Jay-Z, who is on the cover of this year’s issues of Forbes, was placed in multiple images on the website’s banner. Miami’s Police Department has removed the images of Jay-Z on their website.

In the past, Jay-Z has made it known that he no longer wears throwbacks and has gone to “button-downs” and suits. He has confessed through his music that he has moved past illegal behavior.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Jay-Z has not responded to this incident.

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I love the fact that Beyonce and Jay are always together. It’s not just some made up thing for show, I can see the love in her eyes for Daddy Long stroke. Jay and Beyonce went to visit his mom home in Orange County and Beyonce came out to dance with the neighbors. How can you not love this girl so down to earth.

Jay-Z fans let out a small cry in rejoice yesterday (September 23) as the self proclaimed Best Rapper Alive released the cover art for his long awaited book. Fans have been waiting for the book release from one of Brookyn’s Finest and their prayers have finally been answered with Decoded, which is set to hit book stores on November 15.

The book, which will be available as a Hardcover edition and as an e-book and iPhone/iPad  app, features illustrations and decodes 36 of Jay-Z’s songs. The cover art may be familiar to some art history and comic book buffs alike, originally an image from artist Andy Warhol’s 1984 painting Rorschach, it was later used as the mask of DC comics characterRorschach of The Watchmen.

Jay-Z along with Dream Hampton, former editor of The Source magazine, worked together on the book, which includes self accounts from Jay-Z as well as from family and close friends about the rapper’s rise to fame.

Jay-Z discussed some reluctance of writing an autobiography with Rolling Stone magazine in their June 2010 edition, “It’s too much. For the book, I was interviewed, people close to me were interviewed. So I was learning a lot of things I didn’t know as a child. It’s not anything I haven’t said in the past, in songs. It’s just more detailed. A song is three minutes long. A book doesn’t have to rhyme, and it has no time limit, so you can say exactly how everything went.”

While the book was originally completed several years, it is unclear whether it has been updated to include some of Jay-Z’s more recent accomplishments such as his 360 deal with Live Nation or his closely guarded marriage to Beyonce.

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Kanye West has released more details behind the joint project that he is working on with Jay-Z. They have enlisted the help of several rap veterans to form the EP’s sound including production from Pete Rock, A Tribe Called Quest’s frontman Q-Tip, andMadlib, according to the Chi-town rapper’s official Twitter account.

“Music is so fun right now…Hip hop is alive…The hip hop I always loved…an extension of what me and Jay did on BP3,” he wrote. “We got new Pete Rock joints on the Watch the Thrown album…Q-Tip joints. We bout to spit on this madlibbeat.”

The news comes on the heels of West releasing the Jay-Z-assisted track So Appalled as a part of his G.O.O.D. Fridayplan. Talking about the song, ‘Ye tweeted, “Ok [this track] might be my personal favorite Good Friday song so far…It’s just my favorite style of hip-hop done so modern. JustSwizz’s voice over the cello’s is haunting…I might do another version where I bring that part in right after Pusha’s verse also.”

The five song deep EP, Watch The Throne, is scheduled to be released around Thanksgiving (November 23). Kanye will also release a full length project that is currently untitled on November 16th.

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Jay-Z name checked MC Hammer on his verse for Kanye West’s So Appalled, which was released a few days ago. Talking about Hammer’s well documented downfall, Jayrapped, “And Hammer went broke so you know I’m more focused/ I lost 30 mil so I spent another 30/ Cause unlikeHammer 30 million can’t hurt me.”

The California MC apparently didn’t like to be remembered of his past failures and unleashed a series of ominous tweets aimed at Jay. Referring to the New York rapper as a “hellboy” and his fans as “lil demons and imps,” Hammer promised to respond to Jay-Z on Halloween (October 31).

“King Hammer: You wanted my attention #HellBoy (Jigga)…you got it,” he wrote.  “They worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

“These lil demons and imps stopping by the timeline today. Yes, I dissed yo #Daddy…The dude who made the #Lucifer song,” he continued.

“Laughing at these grown men coming on my timeline with they pom poms waving for #Hellboy. These dudes here reppin’ [Jay-Z]  but can’t buy they kids school clothes…Talking about #Hellboy rich; How does that help you?”

In other news, Jay-Z is scheduled to release a five song EP with Kanye West next month.

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Jay-z and billionaire investor Warren Buffett are on the cover of Forbes Magazine’s “400 Richest People In The World” Issue. In case you didn’t know, Warren Buffett is worth about 45 billion bucks. This is a major look for Jay-z who started his rap career at the age of 26 and has went on to become one of the richest and most successful artists in Hip Hop. The duo sat down with Steve Forbes for an hour long conversation on success and giving back.

A few snippets

SF: Jay, where you grew up, you could have easily ended up being put away.
JZ: Yeah. There are very few people from my neighborhood that make it out. Forget about being successful, I mean making it out alive or just incarcerated. I have a great friend who just came home, one of the most beautiful people you’d ever meet; he just came home from doing 13 years. And we were together every single day. Back then there was a guy by the name of Jazz who I started out with. He had a deal with EMI. He had the opportunity to go to London to record his album. I went along with him for two months. In those two months there was a sting operation and they took my friend I’m talking about, for 13 years. The only reason I wasn’t there was because I was away doing this music stuff. Had it not been for music, and music taking me out at the right time, my life could very easily have been his, very easily.

SF: Jay, how are you going to survive in a business where the old rules are no longer true?
JZ: There was a time in music where a hit solved everything. That’s no longer true. I think the music business is still stuck in that place because we haven’t figured it out. One of the biggest things in business is to open yourself up for change. We don’t have to change who we are, we have to change the way we go about it.

At Roc Nation we’re taking our time with artist development, but there are many parts of the business that we’re in. For a long time, music labels weren’t into touring and now they’re making up these 360 deals [where labels get a piece of everything: albums, tours, merchandise]. I don’t want this to be a record-company-bashing thing but this whole 360 model is not what the record company does. The record company is not in the touring business. So why would an artist sign with you when that’s not your area of expertise? We’re with the biggest concert promoter there is, and there’s just so many different aspects we’re into to make ourselves successful: touring, producing, publishing, clothing, movies.

WB: I don’t want to compete with him, Steve. I’m not interested.

SF: Jay, you’re also wise enough, or big enough, where you don’t mind sharing billing with Eminem or Bono.
JZ: It’s fun for me, for one thing. I don’t have that ego where I have to be the only guy on the bill. I’m cool with going out with other artists. I’ve been doing it my entire career. Before Eminem, before Bono, it was R. Kelly or 50 Cent or DMX. I just believe in giving people a better package so when they leave the concert hall, they want to come back again. A lot of people make that mistake when they’re hot. They just sell off the name and sell off the moment. We’re over-delivering on the experience.

SF: Didn’t you end up paying $5 million to buy your last album from Def Jam?
JZ: I have a better story for you. The year I went over to create Roc Nation with Live Nation, I still had one album left to make with Def Jam. L.A. Reid, the chairman of Def Jam at the time, did a great thing for me. He allowed me to walk in and have the conversation with [chairman of parent company Universal Music Group] Doug Morris. We had a fantastic relationship. So it was very cool. I bought my last album back. What people don’t know is the day before I flew from Hawaii, where I was doing some recording and put it on an iPod. I had on jogging pants, and my iPod, with all the music I recorded, was missing. It was on the plane somewhere. I had to walk into Doug’s office the next day and buy an album back that might leak the next day. Every day I would wake up and check all the Internet places and everywhere. I was like that for three months.

But it was worth it, you know. I was heading in a different direction and needed that freedom. It was a great decision for the company. They got some money. And a great decision for me. I got a very successful album, Blueprint 3, which had “Empire State of Mind” on it. That sold about 4 million singles itself. And my first solo number-one single came off that. I believe in everything lining up.

See more over at Forbes

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Jay-Z has reportedly signed on to perform at the opening of the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve. His friend andColdplay front man Chris Martin will also headline the invite-only event, which according to the New York Post is being planned by Colin Cowie.

The Cosmopolitan says the concert is a part of a three-day celebration that will take place about two weeks after the resort opens for business on December 15th. The hotel, which reportedly cost $3.9 billion, will also broadcast the performances on their 65-foot marquee that overlooks the Las Vegas Strip.

Each will perform their own separate sets before coming together in a grand finale mash up of their hits and theAssociated Press is reporting that a surprise performance is also scheduled to take place at the resort’s pool deck, which looks out at Las Vegas Boulevard.

The New York MC and his wife Beyonce recently made history after being inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the Highest Earning Power Couple in 2009 having raked in more than $122 million. According to thePost, Beyonce is also looking to perform in Vegas on New Year’s so that they can bring in 2011 together.

Before heading over to the desert, Jay will be on tour inAustralia as a supporting act for U2’s 360 Tour.

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Jay-Z and Beyonce are making history now that they’ve been added to the Guinness Book Of World Records.

The Carters have been added to the 2010 edition of the famed book for being the “highest earning power couple” after earning $122 million collectively till June 2009.

They’ll be joined in the Guinness Book by Lady Gaga who’s been named the “Most Searched-For Female.”

As previously reported, Jigga topped the list of “Hip-Hop’s Top Earners” after making over $65 million this year from his Blueprint III tour, his work as a producer of the Broadway play Fela!, ties to the New Jersey Nets, Rocawear clothing line and 40/40 night clu

Dipset members Cam’ron and Jim Jones linked up together to release a new track that takes aim Jay-Z and Kanye West. Rapping over the instrumental toWest’s new song Runaway, they call out the Chi-town rapper for leaving Dame Dash for Jay-Z.

“Kanye you a sucka n*gga/ Dissed Dame, so my attitude is f*ck that n*gga,” raps Cam.  “Stuck to Jigga. How you gon’ live with that? Took the beat, now come get it back.”

Ye premiered Runaway at the MTV Video Music Awards this past weekend and he is currently filming a noir-style movie to go along with the track. The movie, which will draw its inspiration from his career, will revolve around a phoenix that has fallen to earth.

“I make her my girlfriend, and people discriminate against her and eventually she has to burn herself alive and go back to her world,” said Kanye to NYmag.com. “I’ve been feeling the idea of the phoenix. It’s been in my heart for a while. It’s maybe parallel to my career. I threw a molotov cocktail on my career last year, in a way, and I had to come back as a better person.”

Runaway will appear on Kanye’s currently untitled album which will be released later this year.

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